


Good Company

by queen_scribbles



Category: Pillars of Eternity
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-04
Updated: 2018-02-04
Packaged: 2019-03-13 13:03:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13571142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queen_scribbles/pseuds/queen_scribbles
Summary: Prompt fill #25  Small Souls





	Good Company

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt fill #25 Small Souls

 

The sunlight played in lazy patterns over the floorboards, shifting every time the wind blew through the trees outside, and the small collection of candles along the far wall flickered in a slight draft as the door opened and closed. Tavi didn’t turn around at the approaching footsteps, knowing from the gait who was behind her. So she watched the shifting shadows as she commented, “Cozy place. How long’d it take you two to build?”

“Week or two,” Edér replied, sitting next to her. “Might’ve been faster, but I had mayor stuff. That’s my job, so it comes first.”

“Much as you’d rather spend time with Charity buildin’ a chapel to Eothas?” Tavi teased.

He shrugged. “She’s good company. An’ I like workin’ with my hands. More than I like paperwork, anyway.”

She smirked but didn’t needle further. Not about the obvious thing, at least. “So where _is_ Charity, by the way? I didn’t see her on my way here.”

“Patchin’ up a pair of ornery teenagers. The Hill boys got in a bit of a spat while they were halfway up a tree, both fell, broke at least a limb apiece, and they’re still madder’n wet cats at each other.  Charity’s got the most healer training out of everyone in Dyrford, ‘cept maybe Hendyna, and she’s out gathering today.”

“Poor Charity,” Tavi said with a laugh, flinching slightly in surprise as Charity’s mouser twined between her legs with a loud _mraow_. “How’s... y’know. _ **It.**_ Goin’ for you two?”

“Pretending we’re courting to explain how much time I spend out here, y’mean?” Edér laughed sheepishly. “We’re still findin’ the lines; when t’ act all sappy romantic, and how much is good versus too much.” He ran one hand through his hair. “I’m not great with lyin’, Tav. Would almost be easier to be in a real relationship...”

It took a _lot_ of willpower not to groan and bury her face in her hands. Tavi covered by reaching down to pet the calico cat still rubbing against her ankles. “Yeah, I guess you wouldn’t want to make  her uncomfortable.”

“Make who uncomfortable?” Charity asking, pushing the door shut behind her.

“You, actually,” Tavi said wryly. “I was askin’ how it was goin’ with your, uh, cover story.”

“Oh, that. Yeah, we’re still figurin’ that out,” Charity said, sighing in something between exhaustion and relief as she sat on Edér’s other side. “Gods, it feels good to just _sit_.”

Edér chuckled sympathetically and reached over to rub her back. “They were that bad, huh?”

“Worse.” Her fingers sought the end of her ponytail and twisted it as she talked. “Ulfric broke his arm in two places, an’ Eldred broke his in one but dislocated his shoulder and elbow to go with it. Neither of the little bastards deal with pain very well, or are good at sittin’ still.” She sighed again and flashed Tavi an apologetic smile. “Sorry, you probably have no interest in hearin’ me complain about my neighbors’ kids.”

“No worries, I understand venting all too well,” Tavi chuckled. “They sound like proper little monsters, and I’m sure workin’ as a healer you see plenty to vent about anyway. Even good natured people can be a pain in the ass when they’re not feelin’ good.” She grinned and elbowed Edér in the ribs.

He shrugged innocently. “I have no idea what you’re talkin’ about.”

“Sure ya don’t.”

“Then that makes you, what, an alley cat with a toothache?” he teased.

“No, Teylecg, that’s my _singin’ voice_ ,” Tavi corrected, laughing. “Sick I’m more like a bear too early outta hibernation.”

“Oh, that’s right,” Edér said, grinning. “Only one of us could put up with you like that, an’ he was sorta extra motivated.”

Tavi huffed in mock indignation. “Are you implyin’ the only reason I didn’t scare off Aloth too was ‘cause he was sweet on me?”

“I was thinkin’ more _head over heels,_ but...” he needled with a smirk.

Tavi caught the bemused smile Charity was trying to hide listening to them bicker and lightly whacked the back of Edér’s head as she stood. “Since your girlfriend’s here, I’ll assume it’s time for your prayers or whatever and get outta your hair.”

“You could stay, y’know,” Edér said, deliberately not reacting to the girlfriend crack. “We ain’t the Leaden Key; you’re allowed in without bein’ a member.”

Tavi shook her head and smiled. “No offense to Eothas or any of ‘em, but after the whle fuckin’ mess with Thaos I kind of need a break from the gods. ‘Sides from talkin’ to Hylea when I’m bored, I mean.”

Edér chuckled and shrugged. “Alright, then. See ya in a bit.”

“If you’re leavin’, can you take Sparrow with you?” Charity asked, affectionately nudging the calico with the toe of her boot. “She likes to walk between the candles if she feels ignored, and I’m afraid she’s going to light herself on fire.”

“Sure,” Tavi laughed. The cat followed her without prompting when she headed for the door, which surprised her. All the animals she’d met in her life, Quaro was the only one to follow her without at least a _little_ bribery. And that was only because he thought she was his mother. ( _Khellin was the one animals liked,_ but that thought still hurt after thirty years, so she pushed it away) True to the nature of cats, however, no sooner had they exited the small chapel than Sparrow looked up at her meowed plaintively, clearly wanting to go back in. “No, your mama’s worried you’ll light yourself on fire.”

 _Mroaw_. Sparrow circled Tavi’s legs and then rubbed against the door.

“No, you little devil, I don’t care how cute you are-” Tavi chuckled, bending down to pick her up. As she did, the atmosphere rippled with a familiar silver-purple hum. She froze. Stared at the cat. “Really? You?”

_**Mroaw.** _

Driven by pure curiosity-- _Eh, what the fuck, why not?-_ -Tavi reached with her mind and bridged the rest of the gap to the cat’s soul.

 _It started as a jumble, more frantic and tangled then even the Awakened souls she’d encountered. Eventually though, with a little effort, she was able to separate the images enough to realize she was seeing two lives. Only one of which was feline in nature. So there was the memory of chased mice, the warm comfort of curling up in someone’s lap for attention (_ she saw both Charity and Edér there and smirked to herself) _, the quiet of the adjacent chapel. But the other soul, the one who was folk, was somewhere much busier, an inn or a tavern it looked like. Pouring drinks with steady hands, emanating warmth and hospitality, taking no nonsense. A man stepped into the vision, then, young and handsome, and the soul’s heart fluttered. A lover, then?_ Husband, she felt the correction. _Young and freshly married and blissfully happy looking at the future._

_“Running an inn won’t be easy, my darling.”_

_“No, but we’ll manage. And you’ve put in enough years here, it’s only right it be yours, Den.”  
_

_“Couldn’t do it without you,” the man chuckled._

Sparrow chirruped her displeasure and ran off, breaking Tavi’s connection to both the cat’s soul and whoever was twinned to it. She blinked a few times, readjusting to her surroundings.

“Well, that was unusual,” she muttered. She knew about soul twins and fractured souls, a little, but she’d never encountered one split between folk and creature. _Guess there’s a first time for everything..._ she mused as she headed back toward town. She wasn’t sure where Sparrow had gotten off to, but the cat was used to the outdoors, so Tavi figured she’d be fine.

The people of Dyrford were still as insular and private as her first visit to the village, and so Tavi was largely ignored as she made her way to the Dracogen Inn. At least they were less suspicious of strangers these days. The miraculous end to the Hollowborn Crisis had probably helped with that. Take away someone’s reason to be fearful and suspicious and usually their attitude improved a good bit.

A group of farmhands were exiting the inn when Tavi reached it, and the last one held the door for her. She nodded thanks as she made her way inside.

“Afternoon, Watcher,” the innkeeper’s wife greeted her. “What can I get for you?”

“Just an ale, Peycg, thank you,” Tavi replied with a smile. Her stomach gurgled and she amended, “Actually if you have some of that delicious venison stew of yours made up this early...”

Peycg laughed at her hopeful expression. “I do indeed. But I thought you were visitin’ the mayor. Is he not feeding you? ‘Cause I’ll have a word with him if need be-”

“No, he is,” Tavi said, leaning against the bar as she enjoyed _that_ mental image.  “Real fucking good cook, too. But he’s visitin’ Charity and-”

“Say no more,” Peycg said with a chuckle. “The two of them lose all track of time more often than not. I’ll be happy to take care of ya for dinner.”

“Great,” Tavi slid onto a barstool, mulling over an idea. _Couldn’t hurt to ask..._ “Hey, Peycg, you wouldn’t happen to know where Chrity got her mouser, would you you?” She knew it was a bit of a long shot, but Charity and Peycg were friends, maybe she would know.

“What, Sparrow?” Peycg shrugged slightly as she handed Tavi her drink. “The inn’s mouser had kittens and Dengler wouldn’t let me keep all of ‘em. Charity took the last one. Poor cat didn’t want to leave, thought she could stay with her mama an’ me forever by that point. Even wandered back a couple times before she figured out she had a new home. But even an inn this size only needs one or two mousers, an’ we already have Daisy and Bell.”

“Ah, Effigy’s eyes, did you find someone new to complain about me to, woman?” Dengler groused teasingly as he emerged from the kitchen with a tray full of clean tankards.

“I wasn’t complainin’, I was making conversation,” Peycg defended, grinning as she kissed her husband on the cheek. “She asked if I knew where Charity got Sparrow, and I was  explainin’. Now that you’re here t’ mind the counter, I’m gonna go get her the venison stew she wanted.”

“Has that been simmering long enough?” Dengler said with a slight frown as he started shelving the tankards under the counter.

“Yes, Den, it has,” Peycg nodded, voice rife with fond not-quite-exasperation, as she whisked into the kitchen.

Tavi raised an eyebrow fractionally at the nickname, recalling what she’d seen and heard through Sparrow’s soul. _Sweet Hylea’s tits, are you trying to tell me **Peycg** and **Sparrow** are soul twins?!_

 _Stranger things have happened,_ a little voice in her head countered. _You’ve seen them. This is nothing compared to the fucking Eyeless._

She had to concede that point. Between the soul reading and the cat’s reluctance to leave the inn, she didn’t know what other conclusion to draw. Of course, she wasn’t sure what to do with this... suspicion. No matter how sure she was, that’s all she could really call it. Unless she read Peycg’s soul and saw Sparrow’s in the process. Given that she was deeply uncomfortable reading people’s souls without their permission(the memory of sitting all the way across the campsite from Aloth because it would have been _so fucking easy_ but she _didn’t want to_  without his say-so flashed through her mind’s eye), and this was a weird thing to ask someone, she was happy to just leave it a suspicion. Besides, unless she a malicious sort, there was no value in knowing Peycg was soul twins with Charity’s mouser. 

“Here ya go, dear,” Peycg sat the bowl of stew down, interrupting Tavi’s train of thought. “Enjoy.”

“Oh, thanks,” Tavi nodded distractedly, the tantalizing aroma of venison dragging her attention back to the present. “I will.”

There wasn’t even a point to mentioning it to Peycg. Even if she didn’t think Tavi was just straight up crazy, it would either upset or fascinate her, but that was it. This theory was best kept to herself.

 _Oh, hurrah, another secret,_ she thought glibly, filing it next to Edér and Charity’s fake courtship, and her own private hope said courtship would turn genuine.. _Good thing I’m good at keeping them._

And with that, she returned her attention to her food. She’d meant when she said she’d enjoy it. That was what was important right now, not soul twins or match- making two wonderful idiot Eothasians. Enjoying her dinner. And so she did. Every bite.


End file.
